Across Africa, governments are recognising a transformative truth: school feeding is not charity – it is one of the smartest economic investments a nation can make. For every dollar spent on school meals, societies gain between $7 and $35 in returns through improved health, education, and agricultural productivity. Yet Uganda, where more than half of learners go without a daily meal, has yet to fully harness this potential. The promise of school feeding as an engine for development is already playing out globally.
Uganda now has its own proof of concept. In Karamoja – a region historically associated with food insecurity – the government-led Karamoja Feeds Karamoja initiative demonstrates that even the most vulnerable areas can feed their own children while transforming local economies. Implemented by the Office of the Prime Minister through the Ministry for Karamoja Affairs since 2014 and linked to Uganda’s government-led homegrown school feeding programme supported by the UN World Food Programme, this model has reached 255,000 children across 320 schools, with over 37,000 local farmers supplying the food to schools.
For a farmer in Nakapiripirit, a school contract means dignity and a guaranteed market. For their children, it means staying in class instead of herding cattle. In 2024, the government renewed its commitment, allocating Shs500 million annually to purchase food directly from Karamoja’s farmers – an investment yielding triple returns: nourished children, empowered farmers, and strengthened local markets.
The economic case is compelling. An estimated annual investment of Shs1 trillion – roughly Shs 500 per child per day to reach 10 million learners – would represent less than 1.5 percent of Uganda’s national budget. When weighed against the Shs1.8 trillion in annual losses from malnutrition (equivalent to 5.6 percent of GDP), the return on investment is undeniable. Global funding for school meals has more than doubled since 2020, increasing from $43 billion to $84 billion in 2024, with 99 percent now coming from national budgets. Countries recognise that school feeding is not welfare but a strategic lever for economic growth.
When schools become predictable buyers from PDM-supported farmer cooperatives, children receive meals that boost attendance and learning, while farmers gain stable markets, reducing post-harvest losses – currently 20 to 45 percent nationally. With many PDM groups being women-led, school feeding becomes a deliberate tool for economic empowerment and gender equity.
To realise this vision, Uganda must move beyond fragmented, donor-dependent projects toward a sustainable national programme. This requires institutionalising school feeding within national systems – a dedicated budget line within the education sector, similar to Universal Primary Education capitation grants. The 2025 procurement guidelines already support sourcing directly from local farmer groups. What remains is the political will to coordinate across ministries and decentralise authority so school management committees can manage funds effectively.
Uganda is part of the global School Meals Coalition, a platform of over 90 governments committed to scaling school feeding. The momentum is rising. Angola approved $435 million in 2025 to reach 5.4 million children. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 20 million more children now receive government-led school meals compared to five years ago.
The Karamoja model proves Uganda can succeed. With modest government allocation and strategic partnerships, locally procured school meals reach thousands of children while building dignified markets for farmers. As Uganda finalises its National School Feeding Policy, the question is not whether to invest, but how quickly we scale a model that works. The return -economically, socially, and politically – is too significant to ignore.